A Breath for Battle

A Reflection on the Gospel for May 23rd, 2021:
​The Solemnity of Pentecost Sunday

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John
20.19-23

It was evening on the day Jesus rose from the dead, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.

Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

There are gifts and hurdles in times of isolation. The hurdles, often more prevalent in my sometimes overcritical perspective, can seem insurmountable at times. In these times of desolation, I find myself wrestling with demons and doubts behind the locked door of my heart. I can even be dissuaded from daring to enter into the silence of prayer.


While the Disciples were sitting behind closed, locked doors, were they feeling this same languish in their isolation? Were they suffocating under the weight of fear, confusion, and grief? Did they complain, softly chanting their dirges? Or did they sit quietly, paralyzed by the deafening silence of His absence?


Over the last number of weeks, my family has found themselves with a bit more time to spare. And so, we decided, what better way to spend that time than to watch the entire, epic series of The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Throughout the series, a number of different races at different times resisted engaging in the fight against darkness—locked their doors, so to speak. In The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, a community of Woodland Elves was led by one who was prone to this resistance. He was willing to fight to keep his own territory at peace, but was disinterested in joining the greater alliance against evil. One Woodland Elf, Tauriel, could not abide by his command. She had the spirit of Love aflame within her, and refused to retreat into isolation from the battle for the greater Good.




Legolas: “It is not our fight.”


Tauriel: “It is our fight. It will not end here. With every victory this evil will grow. If your father has his way, we will do nothing. We will hide within our walls, live our lives away from the light and let darkness descend. Are we are not part of this world? Tell me, Mellon (friend), when did we let evil become stronger than us?”




This is what happens when we unlock our doors to receive the breath of Love: Courage rises up within us. The gift of the Holy Spirit is an endowment of peace and power. He opens our eyes and hearts and sets us forth into freedom; into rejoicing, healing, repentance, forgiveness—and the commission to set others free. This is what happened for the Disciples that day in the Upper Room, and it can also happen for us if we sit and wrestle through the darkness, waiting in trust for the Light to come. He will make Himself known to us—breathing His Spirit into us—empowering us to do things we never thought possible.




Let us pray:
Breathe on us, Lord Jesus. Alight the warrior within us. May we find healing and strength in Your Holy Spirit, propelling us into battle against the evils within and around us. Magnify our hearts, Lord, erasing all fear, so that we will battle not only for our own freedom, but for the freedom of others. For we know by Your fearless example, that true Love is an unlocked door.




Lori MacDonald

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